Sons of Anarchy, Christmas and vegan mayonnaise

No, these three things have nothing to do with each other except for the fact that I have something to say about them.

Let’s start with the mayonnaise because this is the quickest. Just wanted to let you know that last time I went shopping at Organik, I saw that they stock vegan mayonnaise, Ranch and Caesar dressing now. I very seldom bought mayonnaise before and I definitely don’t need it here but I still think it’s nice to see vegan products around.

I’ve got a bit more to say about Christmas. Everybody who knows me probably knows that I really hate Christmas. And I don’t know why (actually I do, because I felt I have to do my share at school) but I volunteered to help organise the Christmas party. It’s not a staff party but just a get together for the parents and actually the whole German community; we expect around 500 people (you have to keep in mind that we are a tiny school so 500 people really are a lot). Fortunately there wasn’t that much to organise but my part was helping with the decoration. Fortunately again, when it came to decorating yesterday, there was still some other stuff to do so I said I can do that instead. But when I had finished I did go out to help with the last bits and it was horrible. All these pine branches (fake of course), decorated in garlands and other plastic shit, candles all over the place and people who found a place for really every single thing from the 5 million boxes full of Christmas stuff. And I have to go back there today, be there for a couple of hours, talk to people I don’t want to talk to on my day off and stare at Christmas trees, lights, presents, jingle bells, candles, snowflakes, reindeers and what not. Have a nice weekend!

Ok, enough of me ranting. Now about something more interesting: the Sons of Anarchy. I’m usually not a big fan of TV but every now and then there is a series that really captivates me. I’m actually glad that I nevertheless need more time to like things that everybody else seemed to be liking for the past years already. This way, I can binge watch. I did the same with Breaking Bad and at the end of nearly every episode I was glad that I just had to press play again instead of waiting another week or, at the end of the season, another year till I could watch the next episode. With Sons of Anarchy, my timing is even better. I was sick last week and stayed in bed the whole time so I actually watched the first five seasons in one week! This week I watched season 6 and tomorrow I’ll start season 7. That gives me enough time to get to episode 12 by Wednesday when it’s time for the big finale.

Over the last two weeks, I loved and hated Jax, I wanted to be part of the club and then again was glad I’m just watching a TV series. But one thing never changed: my dreams. Nearly every night I had some dreams about the Sons of Anarchy. Sometimes it was like I’m still just watching it on TV but being my own director, other times I was a part of it and in the middle of everything. I love binge watching but I have to admit that I’m glad it’ll be over soon and I can go back to my normal life. 🙂

 

 

Another weekend away

These days there’s not much happening in my life therefore the lack of posts. I haven’t been to any new restaurants because since 1 November we have a new caterer at school and they are great at their job! I called there to ask which of the vegetarian dishes are vegan and the lady I was talking to said that she would make sure that I get vegan lunch every day! Yay! And on top of it, it’s really delicious! Because I have a proper meal at school now, most of the time I’m not that hungry in the evening so I just make a smoothie.

Today is Saturday and I finally cooked something myself again. Tortillas! Unfortunately my avocado was completely rotten so no guacamole. But I made some cashew “sour cream”.

 

Last weekend, Nina, who is an intern at my school, and I went to Vung Tau by scooter. Vung Tau is the first beach where you can actually swim north of Saigon. It’s not that far distance-wise (about 100 km) but it took us 4 hours (including a break) on the scooter. Here is a map of the route. It included a ferry which was an interesting experience. It cost 4000 d (about 20 cents) for the two of us and the scooter 🙂

About half way we had a break at a rest stop. They have these hammocks everywhere!

And then, after 4 hours of noise, dirt and challenging traffic we finally arrived in Vung Tau! We went to the beach

and watched some tiny crabs making funny sand balls.

Then we started looking for a hotel and were wondering why all the cheap ones were already taken. Because it wasn’t busy at all. We finally got a room at Song Lam hotel (which was a nice hotel by the way) and went on another ride along the coastal road to look for another beach. Apparently the so-called front beach has a nicer view, the back beach is better for swimming though. So we went back to the back beach and suddenly knew why all the rooms were already taken. It got busier and busier by the minute and just before the sun set it really seemed that half of Saigon was there now.

In the evening we went for a walk, passed a book shop that impressed me somehow,

and went for dinner at a very yummy and super cheap com chay. The whole meal (glass of home-made soy milk, soup and rice with veggies and mock meat) was 10000 d (50 cents)!

On Sunday we went for a walk up a hill with a huge statue of Jesus Christ. Apparently this is the second largest Christ statue (after the one in Rio) in the world. Or at least this is what I think I read somewhere. From the hill you have a really nice view. From the top of the statue it’s probably even better, unfortunately we were both not dressed appropriately (covered shoulders, pants/dress covering the knees) and weren’t allowed up there.

We then went for another cruise along the coast and had one last drink before heading home.

The way back took us only 3 hours although it was about 110 km (we went via Bien Hoa). But because it was along the highway most of the time we were able to go a bit faster. If I did the trip again, I would probably go this way. Although I’m not sure if I wanna do it again if I have to drive the whole distance (Nina has never ridden a scooter). Driving here is just so much more exhausting than in Germany or Australia. Anyway, it was a fun weekend!

My two weeks with Jordie – Part 3/3

After we came back from Hanoi/Ha Long Bay, Jordie had another week in Vietnam while I had to go back to work. That means Jordie spent most of his mornings/early afternoons cruising around on my scooter, going shopping, cooking for me (vegan of course 🙂 <3) and doing some touristy stuff like visiting the Cu Chi tunnels. Actually there’s not that much to tell apart from the fact that it was wonderful having him back in my every day routine and that it was very hard for me letting him go again. But I didn’t have much time to mourn because I dropped off Jordie at the airport, hurried to school for the parent teacher meetings and went back to the airport in the evening to pick up Karsten, a friend from Germany, who came to visit me for one week.

There are only two more things/tips, that I don’t want to keep from you:

1) The other day Anh, one of my Vietnamese friends, showed me a quite romantic spot with an amazing view. Of course I had to take Jordie there. If you wanna check it out, have a look on the map how to get there.

2) We also went to a restaurant that I haven’t been to before. It’s called Thien Duyen Ben Thanh. I think it’s just another one of the endless com chay places that you can find nearly everywhere in Vietnam. But one thing made it stand out: The chicken pho.

We were close to Ben Thanh market and hungry so I took out my phone and checked the happy cow app for a restaurant near by. This restaurant is listed as vegan and their own advertisement says “chay” and “vegetarian”. So my head says they don’t serve meat. But my eyes and my taste buds say something different (not that I can remember how chicken tastes but I’ve never had seitan or tofu that looked so genuine and tasted so different to everything else).

It looked and tasted so real, it was almost scary. But I’ve asked a few times if it really was vegetarian and also the “meat” in the other dishes looked just like the mock meat you usually get. So I’m hoping that it was just a specially good imitation and that maybe the fact that it was in a soup contributed to the authentic look and taste.

A Question of Ethics: Dairy Farming

I’ve always wanted to include some more background knowledge about dairy (and eggs) into my blog but somehow never found the time (and words) to write something. Thank you, Trudi for your summary. I’m sure the more often you confront people with the truth, the more they start thinking about their dietary choices.
Best example: Jordie. It was another “wow!” moment for me, when he told me he won’t eat KFC again. ❤

A Lazy Girl Goes Green

Milk: the “nutritious” white stuff that played a huge part of my childhood memories; from drinking vats of banana Nesquik, to turning it multi-coloured in my Lucky Charms cereal. We were advised to drink it daily, and were outraged when Margaret Thatcher “took it away from us” in the 80s.

According to This is Dairy Farming, British dairy farmers produce around 11 billion litres of milk annually; of which 5 billion litres is sold for drinking, and 6 billion litres is used for dairy products such as cheese and butter. We really do love the stuff!

It’s been in my life for nearly 30 years and a key part of our nation’s diet; so – as a vegan – what’s my beef (pardon the pun) with milk now? Well, it wasn’t until I actually knew where milk came from, and how it’s made, that my taste for dairy soured…

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My two weeks with Jordie – Part 2/3

We booked a 3 days, 2 nights tour in Ha Long Bay with the first night on a boat and the second night on a tiny island called “Monkey Island”. We were picked up on the first morning and spent the next hours of our trip on a small bus towards Ha Long City. It was another bumpy ride but finally we arrived at the harbour and went onto the boat together with all the other travellers. There were couples from Finland, Russia, Germany, two American girls, 3 Dutchies and a group from Malaysia. First we had lunch on the boat (vegan options were available and although it was nothing special Jordie didn’t eat any meat or fish :)) and then just cruised around Ha Long Bay, enjoyed the view, visited a cave and went kayaking and swimming.

We then had dinner on the boat and spent the early evening on deck with a cocktail, talking to the others. We were very tired though and went to bed pretty early. Because it was quite overcast the whole time, we didn’t bother to get up for the sunrise but just stayed in bed till it was time for breakfast. We then got off the boat at Cat Ba Island and spent another hour on a bus, riding to the other side of the island to get onto yet another boat. And then we arrived at Monkey Island! What a beautiful spot!

A teeny, tiny island with just a beach, a couple of bungalows and the reception area in the middle. We had the cheaper garden view bungalow booked but, as I mentioned in my last post, the girl at the travel agency had a surprise for us: she told the staff on Monkey Island that we’re on our honeymoon so that we would get an upgrade. Until then we didn’t really know what exactly that would mean but when we were led to our bungalow we knew: an amazing view and the cutest decoration on our bed!

First I felt a bit bad for the lie but then I really felt like on a honeymoon. Jordie even carried me over the threshold 😉

After lunch and some quiet time on the beach and in the water, we went for a little hike to the other side of the island. Monkey Island is not called Monkey Island for nothing!

Back on our side of the island we went up another hill to a viewing platform with a 360 degree view. This is such a stunning environment!

 

This was definitely the nicest day of the trip, actually the whole two weeks and probably even the last few months. Too bad it had to end. And also too bad that we had to get up at 7 the next morning to pack our stuff, have brekkie and then get on a boat, a bus, another boat and another bus again to arrive back in Hanoi at around 5 pm.

My two weeks with Jordie – Part 1/3

As I mentioned before, Jordie finally came over to visit me about two and a half weeks ago. Some of my students are really creative so I asked them if they could draw a sign for me to hold up so that Jordie would see me immediately when I picked him up from the airport.

Fortunately that Friday was my last day of school and a lazy weekend was lying ahead of us. We hadn’t seen each other in 3 months so we didn’t do too much and spent most of the time at home. On Saturday night, we checked out Saigon Outcast though. That’s a really cool place not even 10 minutes from my apartment in district 2. They have food (some of it should even be vegan), cocktails, graffiti walls, a half-pipe and live music. Maybe it was just because I was there with Jordie but that night seemed special to me. A really great atmosphere and I even danced although I usually hate dancing 🙂 If you’re close by you should definitely check it out! It’s on 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong in Thao Dien.

On Tuesday we flew to Hanoi and booked a 3 day Ha Long Bay cruise. I would say that nearly every travel agency offers the same deals and packages but I’d still like to recommend The Sinh Tourist. They have several offices all over Vietnam and it was by chance that we went into the one on 52 Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi and asked for their prices. While we were talking, I saw keys behind the counter with key rings saying “Apple Hotel”. Wasn’t that the hotel that I found in my guide-book where I wanted to go anyway?? What a coincidence! And sheer luck that we found the hotel this way because there is only a teeny tiny sign outside that I probably wouldn’t have seen. The hotel wasn’t great but it was clean and cheap and the staff were really friendly and helpful. Huyen, the girl we were talking to, even organised something special for us on the tour… But more about that in the next post…

In the Old Quarter in Hanoi we found a nice little restaurant with quite a big choice of vegan food (because there are hardly any vegan or vegetarian places in the Old Quarter. Lots of vegan restaurants all over Hanoi but none within walking distance). Cari Truong on 2B Ta Hien serves meat but also offers vegan pho, fried rice without egg, summer rolls, curry and some other vegan things. And it’s super yummy and cheap. Another must-go if you’re in the Old Quarter.

Speaking of veganism: Jordie moved me to tears when he told me that he wants to eat vegan for the whole two weeks he was here. To really appreciate that, you have to know that one of his hobbies is fishing and he even shoots rabbits with his bow and arrow. He usually has (or at least had when we were living together) meat with every single meal and this was always a big issue between us. I just can’t understand how people can call themselves animal lovers and be really kind to not only their pets but also other cats and dogs and horses and so on but at the same time kill and torture pigs and cows and chicken.

(Oh, that reminds me of something else again: We also watched 101 Reasons to go vegan on Youtube.  If you are vegan: watch it, it’s amazing! If you aren’t vegan yet: watch it, it’s amazing! Even Jordie said so. :))

We went to another cool place in Hanoi called “The Hanoi Social Club” on 6 Hoi Vu, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. It’s a hip café/bar on three floors with live music and a few vegan dishes.

And to end this part of my blog, here is what Vietnamese people do when there is something to repair on the roof: they just go up there and repair it. Without any protection. 🙂

Thank you, you hippies!

I’m very proud that I was the featured blog of the week by YouHippies.com! (Ok, that was already two weeks ago but I just didn’t find the time to write this post earlier…) You Hippies are doing a great job promoting a healthy, environmentally friendly, vegan lifestyle. Apart from vegan recipes and posts about everyday topics like dreadlocks and their cat, they have the blog of the week, where they introduce blogs they like and that fit in with their attitude. I highly recommend to take a look at what they are doing and to check out my “interview” here!

Finally some news from me :)

It’s been a while but I have the best reason for why I haven’t written any posts for 3 weeks: My boyfriend was here! Jordie and I haven’t seen each other in pretty exactly 3 months so when he was here for two weeks I wanted to spend every second with him.

I was off for the first week and we flew to Hanoi together and went on a 3 day cruise in Ha Long Bay. The second week I had to go back to school so Jordie took my scooter and just cruised around Saigon while I was working.

He had to fly back to Australia last Saturday but fortunately I didn’t have time for grieving because on Saturday night I went back to the airport to pick up a friend from Germany who is here to visit me for one week. But because Saigon doesn’t have too much to offer for tourists and Karsten also wants to visit Ha Long Bay, he just left for Hanoi an hour ago. So I have a bit more time again for the next 3 days and thought I should finally let you all know what’s happening in my life.

I’ll write a few separate posts about all my experiences during the last few weeks so stay tuned…

Welcome to little Russia

On Thursday night my first travels here in Vietnam started: I took a sleeper bus from Saigon to Nha Trang. 10 to 12 hours in a bus is not too bad in my opinion, especially if you have some kind of a bed. But what I didn’t take into account was the condition of the roads. There was one part along the way where I felt like on a roller coaster. One pothole after the other, for about 1 hour I guess.

Still, I arrived safely in Nha Trang on Friday morning. On my first day I didn’t wanna do too much so after checking into my hotel which was cheap ($10) but nice and clean I only rented a lounge chair, ordered a dua (coconut) and enjoyed my time off.

When I felt a bit hungry, I made my way towards a vegetarian banh mi cart. I’ve always wanted to eat this kind of sandwich because you can get it at literally every corner, but only with meat of course. So when I found the banh mi chay on happy cow I had to try it. And it was delicious! And something different for a change. I do like rice with veggies and mock meat but I have to admit that it tastes the same everywhere.

It was also good to go there because while I was standing there, a guy started talking to me. He talked me into booking a private tour to the Cham towers which I wanted to see anyway and some other stuff. First I wasn’t really excited about it because I thought I’d rather do it on my own but after trying to convince me for about 10 minutes I gave in. Also because the offer did sound pretty good. 16 Dollars for a 3 to 4 hour private tour. That’s not too bad.

In the evening I walked through the streets, trying to find a nice place where I could sit and have a drink before going back to my hotel. And it was then at the latest that I realised that I’m in little Russia. Nha Trang is full of tourists but actually only Russians. So many, that all the signs along the streets are in Russian. And the menus. And even the street vendors know a few scraps of Russian… Obviously there is a cheap direct flight between somewhere in Russia and Nha Trang and, if I understood that correctly, they don’t need a visa. So Nha Trang is to the Russians what Mallorca is to the Germans. Or Bali to the Australians.

Two for one promotion… no problem for me 😉

Street market on my way back to the hotel

I started my next day with a huge fruit platter before Son, my guide, picked me up in front of my hotel.

First he dropped me off at the Cham towers Po Nagar. I have to admit that the pictures I saw (and even the ones I took) looked more impressive than when I saw them in real. Even though the towers are old, everything around them is new. Especially the floor irritated me a bit. And there were soooo many tourists… I know, I mustn’t complain, I’m one of them. But at least I’m not walking in front of someone’s camera if I see that they are taking a photo. Mi Son (close to Hoi An), where I went to 3 years ago when I was in Vietnam for a holiday, looked similar but I liked them way better.

After that, Son took me over a little bridge (and I saw a wedding photo shoot) and into a village where I could experience “real Vietnam”. That’s at least what all the tour operators tell you when they wanna sell their tours. But it really was an interesting experience. I “helped” two ladies weaving a sleeping mat. Son told me that they make about two mats per day… I have no idea how much they sell them for but you can imagine that they aren’t millionaires…

On the way to a pagoda we saw some water buffalos. At the pagoda I didn’t really dare to stop and take photos. Kids and old people alike constantly begged for money. I felt bad for not giving them anything but then again if I give money to everybody I will be the next person who has to go begging. And I think that I am generous enough already. I usually give tips, don’t haggle too much and if I don’t give any money I at least smile.  Something that foreigners here usually don’t do.

 

Son, my guide

After the tour I spent the rest of the day wandering from café to café, drinking one dua after the other 🙂 In the evening I took a taxi to the bus station from where my bus back to Saigon left. After about 10 minutes we arrives and the taxi meter showed 45.5. there is also a sticker that states that the price is the number you see x 1000. That makes 45 500 dong, about $2.15. I took out a 50 000 dong note but the driver tried to tell me that it’s not enough. When he started trying to grab money from out of my wallet I got a bit unfriendly but then I realised what he was trying: He wanted me to pay 455 000 dong! He kept pointing to the taxi meter and the “x 1000” sign and repeated 4 5 5. I kept on repeating 4 5 POINT 5. Then I told him I wanted any random person to come and confirm that it is 455 000 dong. He finally took the 50 000 and asked: “Ok?” I already was a bit scared by then so I didn’t care about the change and just got out. He even wanted to shake hands when I left. What a dick!

All in all it was a good weekend but nothing too special. My guide was really nice but Nha Trang is just not as beautiful as other places in Vietnam. And the Russian tourists are a bit too much for my liking. Well, and some taxi drivers are just assholes.

Making some plans

The last days (especially during the week) I often felt down a bit. It feels like having two choices but one is as bad as the other. I can either go to bed really early so that I won’t be too tired the next day. But that means less time to myself and less time to do things. Or I can go out, meet people, do stuff, and go to bed late. But then I will be tired out, on edge the whole next day and everything that is already exhausting and demanding seems unbearable.

Fortunately today everything seems a bit better again and I’ve made some decisions: First of all I will start a Vietnamese course next week. That means even more evenings (three per week to be precise) when I can’t go to bed really early and even less time to just relax. But I wanted to do that ever since I arrived here. And that was already 2 month ago! Time flies, it’s unbelievable! The second thing I arranged was a bus ticket to Nha Trang. I’m off on Friday because it’s the German National Holiday and so the school is closed. 🙂 I will take a night bus and arrive in Nha Trang on Friday morning. That gives me two whole days there and another bus ride back Saturday night. Then I still have the whole Sunday here to get back on track with school stuff and what not.

And then there’s only one week left before my autumn holidays begin! And I’m not only looking forward to it because I won’t have to get up early for a whole week but because of a very special guest arriving here on Friday night…